Xenoblade Chronicles X (plot)
The events of Xenoblade Chronicles X take place over the course of twelve chapters. During these chapters, major events in the overlying story take place. Each chapter is usually represented in game as a Story Mission. The progression of the story is independent of side missions, although Heart-to-Heart missions can only be accepted between chapters, not while the events of a chapter are ongoing. Prologue The game begins showing two alien races fighting a massive battle over Earth in July 2054. Due to the imminent war, the Coalition government has launched the project Exodu, namely the Earthlife Colonization Project. The planet is left devastated and humanity seeks out new worlds in massive Ark Ships. Unfortunately, most of these Ark Ships are shot down while trying to escape Earth's gravitational field, and only a few make it out. After two years journeying through space, the aliens' pursuit forces find the White Whale, the American Ark Ship, and attack it as it approaches a planet called Mira. Thanks to the efforts of the military and Elma's superior, the attack is repelled; however, the fierce battle causes massive damage to the engine of the White Whale, and the Ark Ship crashes on the planet. Many of the cryogenically frozen humans aboard are ejected in escape pods, which then scatter over a wide area on the planet. Presumably as a safety precaution against an occupant awakening in a hostile environment, the pods keep their occupants in stasis until manually activated from the outside. Gameplay begins after Elma awakens Cross from one of these pods near Starfall Basin in Primordia on a stormy night. Soon afterwards, the duo encounters the Origin Blatta. After defeating it, they venture out of Starfall Basin. Upon exiting, the weather changes to a clear day. It is then revealed that the residents of the White Whale establish a settlement they call New Los Angeles, in Primordia. They are shown to prosper after two months on the planet, with cars, streetlights, cell phones, and massive weaponisable mechs known as Skells. The people of New Los Angeles realize that they will never return to Earth, so they accept Mira as their new home. Cross and Elma then make their way to the entrance to New Los Angeles, where they encounter some Young Greges. After defeating the Greges, the duo enter New Los Angeles. As they enter the city, they see a broadcast of Maurice at BLADE Tower giving a briefing on the retrieval of the pods. Irina and Gwin then greet Elma, who subsequently introduces them to Cross. A dialogue follows, in which it is suggested that multiple pods were found in Starfall Basin, but Cross was the only survivor. After Irina and Gwin leave, the prologue ends. Comments made during the 2014 Treehouse presentation indicate that the early settlers of New Los Angeles are mostly military personnel, but that one of the player character's goals will be to locate stasis pods and bring people with other vital skills, such as farming, to New Los Angeles. Chapter 1: New Los Angeles Upon entering the Industrial District, Elma and Cross see a Skell (soon afterwards revealed to be piloted by Doug) flying. The Skell is seen to be emitting smoke, before crashing not far from Elma and Cross's location. Immediately, Lin arrives and begins assessing the cause of the crash, as Doug emerges from the Skell in frustration. After assessing the Skell, Lin greets Elma and introduces herself to Cross. She then commands Doug to put the broken Skell away and joins the party as they head for the BLADE Tower, much to Doug's annoyance. The party flies to the Administrative District. During the flight, Lin discusses the progress of New Los Angeles and points out the different districts of the city. Upon reaching the BLADE Headquarters, the party is greeted by Nagi. The four enter the headquarters, where Nagi explains BLADE and its purpose. It is revealed that BLADE is searching for the remaining Lifeholds, which have humans in them. Cross, Elma, and Lin then leave BLADE Headquarters, and Elma and Lin give Cross a tour of the Administrative District. Chapter 2: Frontier Net Once the party enters to BLADE Headquarters, Nagi introduces them to the Frontier Net. They are then tasked with investigating the closest FN Site. They discover that the FN Site is being guarded by the Pursuit Volkampf, which they battle. The party then installs the first Data Probe into the FN Site, activating the Frontier Net. Upon returning to BLADE, the party meets Vandham, who then commends their work. He and Elma then introduce Cross to the Divisions, at which point the player must choose Cross's affiliation. Chapter 3: BLADE: Liberators of Fate Vandham reports that a Skell that was being used by a Path Finder team has broken down near Seaswept Ridge. He appoints Elma, Cross, and Lin to investigate the Skell and the Path Finder team. Upon arriving at the Skell, the party finds no sign of the team. Lin also notes that the Skell must have been wounded in battle, but the markings do not suggest wild animals. Lin then receives a Path Finder signal from inside a nearby structure, but then detects numerous alien lifeforms. Elma notes the orderly, nonrandom nature of the lifeforms' movements, and deduces that they cannot be wild animals, but intelligent lifeforms. Elma, Lin, and Cross are subsequently confronted by two of these such lifeforms, revealed to be the Prone. After Elma tells the two Prone that she and her two partners are humans from Earth, the Prone immediately demand to know why she would be here. Elma realizes from this that they must have already encountered humans previously. The two Prone then attack the party, with the intent of killing all three. After defeating the two Prone, the party infiltrates the nearby structure, which is revealed to be a Prone base. Once they enter the base, they find the Path Finder team on the ground held at gunpoint by the base leader. The leader notices the party's approach and introduces himself as Glen'nar. He also states that humans have been intruding on their planet and should consequently be eliminated. Elma attempts to explain the circumstances of their arrival, including the crash of their spaceship, and asks that the Prone understand and tolerate their situation, but to no avail. Glen'nar proceeds to attack the party, accompanied by his two Prone Ruffians. After defeating Glen'nar, the party checks up on the Path Finder team, then begins to head back to New Los Angeles, although Lin is still concerned that an alien race is bent on destroying humankind on Mira. As they leave the base, they hear yelling from inside a storage unit nearby, as something is trying to escape the unit. The party suspects that it is another hostile lifeform, but nevertheless investigate, albeit with great caution. Suddenly, one compartment of the storage unit bursts open, spilling out several unknown items and a Nopon, Tatsu. As Tatsu rejoices about his freedom, Lin notices that he bears similarities to vegetables and wants to use him as one, prompting Tatsu to lash out at her, especially since the Prone would tease the Nopon for looking similar to vegetables. He mentions his race to Elma and confirms that they are not hostile. He eventually allies with the party, although he is wary of Lin, as she will occasionally joke about cooking him throughout the game. He then introduces the party to a Nopon creation, the Nav Ball, which then becomes available for Cross to use. The party decides to take Tatsu with them to introduce to Vandham. After a brief dialogue, they decide to allow Tatsu to aid BLADE. The player then sees that the number on the BLADE Tower has dropped from 60% to 55%. After this chapter, the player is allowed to begin sidequests and choose when to start the next chapter. Chapter Openings Starting with Chapter 4, each chapter begins with Lin wanting to cook for the party and asking Cross what to make for Vandham. A comic relief scene between Lin and Tatsu follows, with the specific scene depending on the choice made.There are six choices, which remain the same for Chapters 4-10, but the player may not choose something that Lin has already made in a previous chapter (Lin does not finish in Chapter 8, and the choice selected can be selected again in Chapter 9 or 10). In all six choices, Tatsu asks what Lin is making, and Lin answers his question. However, Lin eventually suggests that Tatsu is to be the meat for the dish, to which Tatsu angrily states that he is not food and accuses Lin of setting him up. The scene then shifts to the food being served, and only after the food is finished that it is revealed that Tatsu was not used. The choices are: * Deep fried (Fried chicken) * Stew (Meat with wine sauce) * Paper-wrapped dish (Meat pie) * Dish broiled in soy sauce (Tandoori chicken) * Stir-fry (Chicken sautée) * Delicacy (Foie gras) Chapter 4: Ganglion Vandham reports that BLADE has found a Lifehold in Noctilum, the continent to the west of Primordia. Cross, Elma, and Lin are tasked with retrieving the Lifehold, and Tatsu insists on tagging along. As they leave Primordia, the party meets Lao, who is directing a Skell piloted by someone else to insert a Data Probe. After Lao notes Tatsu's similarities to a vegtable, causing Tatsu to throw another small tantrum, Lin introduces herself to Lao. As the party begins to leave, Lao offers to join them, to which Elma accepts. The group of five then set off for the target Lifehold. While in Noctilum, the party encounters another alien being, who introduces himself as Ru, a Mira merchant who appears to be familiar with the Nopon race. He then insists on aiding the party on their quests. The party then goes to the Lifehold. When the party arrives at the pod, they find that Prone have already begun destroying it. The party defeats the Prone Blasters, but are unable to keep the Lifehold from exploding. After the Lifehold is destroyed, Goetia appears. She reveals that she belongs to the Ganglion, a group of hostile species on Mira. As natives to Mira, the Ganglion believe it is their duty to wipe out all the humans. Goetia proceeds to attack the party. The party manages to defeat Goetia, but before they can finish her, another mech appears, summoning Goetia. The mech then flies off with Goetia in tow. After discussing the Ganglion threat, the party returns to New Los Angeles. Ru is introduced to Nagi and Maurice, who agree to allow Ru to aid BLADE. Nagi, Maurice, and Vandham are informed of the Ganglion, and the images of alien mech captured by the database reveal striking similarities to the Skells used by NLA. Maurice declares the Ganglion to be a threat to the humans. Chapter 5: The Manon Tribe Elma, Cross, Lin, Tatsu, Irina, and Gwin check the database, which reveals a spacecraft plummeting into Oblivia, the desert continent to the east of Primordia. Elma, Lin, Cross, and Tatsu decide to investigate the area. Upon arriving at the crash, Lin discovers another alien species. Lin and Elma then receive a signal from the aliens, in which it is revealed that they have also encountered the Ganglion. Tatsu tells them that the aliens are called Manon, and that they arrived on Mira about a year before the humans did. He also mentions that they have come in contact with the Nopon. He and the rest of the party then decide to meet the Nopon. When the party goes to greet the Manon, they are first afraid that the humans are Ganglion, but Tatsu says that they are Earthlings, while Elma tells the Manon that the humans are also being targeted by the Ganglion. The Manon then ask the party to destroy three machines to prove that they can be trusted. After destroying all three machines, the party reports back to the Manon, but find them under attack from Ganglion mechs. The party battles the mechs, allowing the Manon to escape. After the party defeats the mechs, Tatsu emerges from a nearby rock and begins a victory dance. One mech, however, is not fully finished, and fires at Tatsu. Cross rushes to protect Tatsu, but is thrown back as the projectile hits and the mech explodes. Tatsu is unscathed, but Cross's left arm is blown off, revealing wires underneath. It is then revealed that Cross is an android built for battle (known in game as a BB), which serves as an explanation for his lack of dialogue. As protocol, Elma informs BLADE of Cross's emergency while Lin shuts down the android's functions. Cross later is powered back up in New Los Angeles after a new, fully functional left arm is installed on him. Elma, Lin, and Tatsu greet him, and Elma explains to Cross his identity. She also reveals that the number on BLADE Tower is a countdown. As the White Whale crashed, part of the ship, which housed the actual humans, was lost. In fact, all the "humans" in NLA are BBs, with their actual conscience stored in this "Central Life Point." The BLADE Tower indicates the remaining time before the Central Life Point shuts down. Should the countdown reach 0, the BBs will shut down and the humans on the White Whale will completely die. The Manon are then introduced to Vandham, Nagi, and Maurice, who decide to allow them into New Los Angeles. The Manon requests permission to dock their spacecraft in NLA, which they imply to have used to travel for six million light-years. Maurice consents, and the spacecraft is pulled into the city, to the awe of the citizens of New Los Angeles. Chapter 6: Relic of the Stars The chapter begins with a battle between two factions, one of which is the Prone, the other seemingly wild monsters. The Prone are overpowered and the wild animals begin to enter Primordia. The scene then changes to Goetia reporting to Luxaar aboard the Ganglion mothership about the Manon-Human alliance. The scene then changes to the standard chapter beginning. Elma, Lin, Cross, Tatsu, Lao, and Ru discuss the mechs that do not belong to New Los Angeles. The Frontier Net reports broken mechs from the battle in Noctilum, along with the monsters from the other faction. Elma, Lin, Lao, and Cross set out to investigate. On their way out, Lao begins a conversation with Lin. During this conversation, Lin reveals that her parents died before the Earth was destroyed, and she was on the White Whale to continue their work. Upon arriving at the site, they find the monsters still guarding the area, but manage to reach a broken mech to investigate. Elma notices that the mech is running on what she believes is dark matter, indicating it is not an NLA Skell. The team decide to return to NLA. They alert Vandham, who sends helicopters to retrieve the mech. After the helicopters retrieve the mech, the party remains at the site. Tatsu then suggests a quick snack, and takes out food that he packed. Lin, horrified, immediately scolds Tatsu for packing food, which could attract wild animals. Unfortunately, the hostile creatures from before reemerge, and attack the party. The party defeats the first few waves, but are eventually overwhelmed. However, a Telethia appears and easily defeats the remaining monsters. It then turns towards the party, before inexplicably leaving. The team then returns to NLA to investigate the alien mech. Vandham then announces development of a new model of Skell, Ares. At this point, Cross may apply for a Skell License. Luxaar summons two members of the Ganglion and tasks them with retrieving the lost mech. Chapter 7: Trick Elma asks about Irina's whereabouts, and Vandham answers that her team has found a Lifehold in Oblivia. Elma, Lin, Cross, and Tatsu decide to go and help Irina, in the case of a Ganglion ambush. Meanwhile, BLADE Tower's countdown has dropped to 27%. Irina and Gwin's team finds a group of alien mechs close to the location of the Lifehold. Elma and the party arrive, and Elma tells Irina to guard the Lifehold while she takes care of the mechs. After defeating the mechs, the party returns to Irina and Gwin, who are at the Lifehold. Irina is about to open it, when Elma suddenly tells her to get away from it. Right as Irina jumps off the rocks, Ganglion mechs attack, setting fire to the Lifehold. The lead mech is revealed to be piloted by Goetia, whom the party battles. Elma then explains to a shocked Irina about the Ganglion and their motives. Irina, Gwin, and their team then return to NLA, with the party following soon afterwards to report to Vandham. By the end of this chapter, BLADE Tower's countdown has reached 20%. Chapter 8: NLA Military Defense Although the standard chapter beginning starts, a siren sounds throughout New Los Angeles before Lin finishes preparing ingredients, signifying approaching enemy factions. BLADE then assembles in front of BLADE Tower while the Ganglion is seen approaching the city. BLADE, with the help of the Manon, prepare for the enemy assault. After the meeting, Elma, Lin, Cross, and Tatsu meet in BLADE Headquarters to develop NLA's defense strategy, putting Irina and Doug in charge of the Skells for the first line of defense. The party assembles outside NLA's eastern exit to confront the Ganglion. Meanwhile, Vandham mobilizes the first line of defense. The party then defeat several waves of Ganglion. After defeating several waves of land-based Ganglion, the party receives a signal from BLADE Headquarters, then realize that the primary Ganglion ship is approaching the city, flying over the city walls. Lao, who is guarding the mech retrieved from Noctilum, orders his team to mobilize, as guarding the mech would do no good should the Ganglion achieve their goal. Meanwhile, enemy mechs have entered New Los Angeles and begun destroying it. While watching the carnage, the invasion leaders, Ryyz and Dagahn, decide to participate in the battle, with Ryyz summoning a barrier around them and then smashing into the Commercial District. When the party arrives, they see Dagahn effortlessly and singlehandedly defeating two Skells. Elma, Cross, and Lin proceed to battle Ryyz and Dagahn. Upon defeat, Ryyz causes an explosion in the Administrative District. Elma subsequently receives a message from Irina, stating that the Ganglion have managed to reclaim their mech. It is revealed that the two Luxaar summoned at the end of Chapter 6 easily overwhelmed the faction guarding the mech, before summoning three aircraft to tow the mech out of the city. As the two leave, Ga Derg expresses regret having to destroy the city. Irina then appears to report casualties faced by the Skell division. Afterwards, the party meets with Vandham and Lao to discuss the loss of the alien mech. After some contemplation, Elma begins to grow suspicious of Lao and his motives for abandoning the mech. The chapter ends with Luxaar being given the retrieved mech. Chapter 9: The Lars Warrior Vandham reports that another Lifehold has been found, this time in Sylvalum, north of Primordia. Lin suspects that Sylvalum may be a base for the Ganglion. Cross, Elma, and Lin decide to check on the Lifehold. Meanwhile, BLADE Tower's countdown has dropped to 14%. Upon arriving in Sylvalum, the party finds Lao collapsed beside a rock. Lao tells them that he was confronted by Ganglion. He tries to help, but Lin convinces him to rest until his wounds have healed. Lao then directs Elma a little further north to the Lifehold. After a while, Elma begins to suspect something is wrong, and asks Lin if she can pick up any signals. Lin suddenly receives an alien signal, before multiple mechs descend, surrounding the party. Ga Derg and Ga Bow appear. They introduce themselves as Lars, who have allied with the Ganglion, before telling the party to stand down. Elma tells the party to comply, and they put away their weapons (Tatsu takes off his glasses and puts them on the ground). Ga Derg has orders to take the party to Luxaar, who Elma deduces to be the Ganglion leader's name. When asked why they are aiding the Ganglion, Ga Derg reveals that Luxaar is threatening to use the Lars as cannon fodder. After attempted diplomacy, the two parties battle. After Ga Derg is defeated, he summons a mech from underground and continues the battle. Upon defeat, Ga Derg acknowledges the prowess of the party. He then reveals that the Ganglion's base is located on the continent to the north. He then flies off, and Elma receives a report that Lao has safely been transported back to NLA. He later wakes up in New Los Angeles (in the same building that Cross woke up after he lost his arm), greeted by Doug. Luxaar is contacted by Ga Derg, who, after battling Elma, Cross, and Lin, decides to dissolve the Lars-Ganglion alliance, much to Luxaar's anger. Ga Derg, prince of the Lars, and Ga Bow are then seen rallying the Lars after declaring their independence from the Ganglion, while Ga Bow notes a change in Ga Derg's personality. Category:Xenoblade Chronicles X